February 2012

Festival in Solidarity with Syria Held in Haifa

February 29, 2012 Featured News

29/2/2012 Haifa, Occupied Palestine, (SANA) – The Palestinian Popular Committee for Solidarity with Syria in the Occupied Palestinian Lands of 1948, political and religious figures inal-Jalil, al-Karmel and the Occupied Jerusalem as well as a delegation from the Occupied Syrian Golan held a festival Tuesday in solidarity with Syria at al-Midan Theatre in Haifa. After [...]

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Egypt’s Copts protest “disappearance of girls”

February 29, 2012 Featured News
A Coptic woman praying during church service. Photo by Joseph Mayton

Mohamed Abdel Salam and Joseph Mayton 29/2/2012 CAIRO: A number of Egypt Coptic Christian protesters organized a demonstration on Tuesday in front of Parliament to protest what they called “the disappearance and abduction of Coptic girls,” where the families of the missing girls took part in the protest organized by the Association of Victims of [...]

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Upcoming Lenten worship services to be performed by the Vicar Bishops of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC in the churches and monasteries in Kyiv and Kyiv province

February 29, 2012 News

28/2/2012 Ukrainian Church Schedule of worship services by Metropolitan Pavlo of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl on the 1st Week of Lent: Reading of the Great Canon of St.Andrew of Crete: – Monday, February 27 – the Church of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Kyiv Caves in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. – Tuesday, February 28 – Holy [...]

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Patriarch Irinej meets with President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik

February 29, 2012 News

28/2/2012 On 28th at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch received Mr. Milorad Dodik, the President of the Republic of Srpska. The reception was attended by His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno, vicar of Patriarch, and the representatives of the Presidency of the Republic of Srpska. Source:

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Order of Saint Despot Stephen to Milovan Vitezovic and Miodrag Vujovic

February 29, 2012 News

24/2/2012 Serbian Church His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch awarded on February 22, 2012 in the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade Messrs Milovan Vitezovic and Miodrag Vujovic with the Order of Saint Despot Stephen Lazarevic in the presence of the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Their Graces Bishops: Vasilije of [...]

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Sumgait pogroms commemorated in Romania

February 29, 2012 News

29/2/2012 PanARMENIAN.Net – On February 26, Romania hosted events commemorating the 24th anniversary of pogroms of Armenians in the Azeri town of Sumgait. A liturgy was served in St Michael and Gabriel Church in Bucharest in memory of victims of Sumgait massacres. On behalf of the Armenian embassy in Romania, Armenian community and the local [...]

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Bob Marley was Orthodox Christian long before death, said to have Called upon Jesus on his deathbed

February 29, 2012 Featured News

February 2012 File News, First Week of February Bob Marley was born on Feb 6., and although many are familiar with the reggae legend as a Rastafarian, others may be surprised to hear that he was baptized as an Orthodox Christian before his death. Marley was an influential figure in the global expansion of a [...]

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15th-century frescoes identified in Polish church, money being raised to restore them

February 29, 2012 Featured News

29/2/2012 WARSAW, Poland — Frescoes discovered on the walls of an Orthodox Church in Poland have been identified as 15th-century art works, and funds are being raised to restore them. Art historian Jaroslaw Giemza said Tuesday that recent research on the frescoes at the ancient church in the eastern village of Posada Rybotycka have dated [...]

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Radio program – Sunday Nights on ABC Local Radio: Egyptian Christians

February 29, 2012 News
Priest at Bexley Coptic Cathedral

28/2/2012 Egyptian Christians are very conscious that St Mark the Evangelist was in Egypt. His work means that Egypt, along with Jerusalem and Antioch is one of the three oldest Christian foundations in the world. During this time of Lent, Noel Debien visited the beautiful new Coptic cathedral of St Mary’s and St Mina’s church [...]

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Metropolitan Council approves next steps in implementing the Strategic Plan

February 29, 2012 News

SYOSSET, NY [OCA] 28/2/2012 At their meeting held at the Chancery here February 22-23, 2012, the members of the Orthodox Church in America’s Metropolitan Council unanimously approved proceeding with the implementation of the “Strategic Plan for the Orthodox Church in America: A Comprehensive Action Plan for the Next Decade. [The text of the Plan, updated [...]

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Approval of Bulgarian Orthodox Church declines by 17% in past 3 months: poll

February 29, 2012 News

27/2/2012 Sofia. The approval of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has declined by 17% (from 53% to 36%) in the past three months, reveals an opinion poll conducted by the National Center for Public Opinion Study between 3 and 15 February 2012 among 1,000 adult Bulgarians from all over the country, the center told FOCUS News [...]

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New find revives ‘Jesus Tomb’ flap

February 28, 2012 Featured News
One of the designs etched on a bone box found within a 1st-century Jerusalem tomb suggests the biblical story of Jonah and the fish, which held significant symbolism for early Christians.

By Alan Boyle 28/2/2012 Using a remote-controlled camera on the end of a robotic arm, investigators have found what could be the earliest evidence of a Christian iconography in Jerusalem, engraved on a set of “bone boxes” inside a nearly intact 1st-century tomb. One of the limestone boxes, known more formally as an ossuary, carries [...]

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Lebanon held commemoration event to honor victims of Sumgait massacres

February 28, 2012 Featured News

28/2/2012 BEIRUT. – All Armenian churches in Lebanon held commemoration liturgy for the victims of Sumgait massacres on Feb. 26. After the liturgy in the Antelias Armenian church, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I and Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan delivered speeches. The Ambassador stated in particular that the severest ethnic [...]

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Aram I: Armenians’ Genocide reparation demand valid

February 28, 2012 Featured News

28/2/2012 PanARMENIAN.Net – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia delivered concluding remarks to the international conference on the Armenian Genocide in Lebanon. “As experts in human rights, international law and the Armenian Genocide, you have analyzed and affirmed, through your presentations and discussions, that the demand of the Armenian people [...]

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ANCA chairman calls for justice for Genocide

February 28, 2012 News

28/2/2012 Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian offered a broad vision of how Return of Churches movement reflects and also materially reinforces the broader international movement to hold the Republic of Turkey responsible for a truthful, just, and comprehensive resolution of the Armenian Genocide. Hackikian offered his remarks, at the recently concluded [...]

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International Conference to Honor Fr. John Meyendorff Held at St. Sergius Institute

February 28, 2012 Featured News
Fr. John Meyendorff

28/2/2012 [SVOTS Communications, Yonkers, NY] From 9–11 February, 2012, an international conference was held at St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, France, to honor the 20th anniversary of the passing away of the theologian and church historian Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, who was Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary from 1983 until 1992. The four sessions, [...]

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Dr. Vladimir Gorbik to Lead Choral Master Class at St. Vladimir’s Seminary

February 28, 2012 News

27/2/2012 [SVOTS Communications, Yonkers, NY] An unprecedented Master Class and Choral Workshop, led by Dr. Vladimir Gorbik—a renowned teacher of the Russian Orthodox sacred music tradition, and a leading practitioner of sacred choral music in Russia today—will be held at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY from June 25–29, 2012. Dr. Gorbik will instruct participants in [...]

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Church of Holy Girdle of St Mary in Homs Bombed

February 28, 2012 Featured News

26/2/12 Church of Holy Girdle of St Mary in Homs Bombed. May God protect our Church of Holy Girdle of St Mary in Homs and our beloved archbishop HG Mor Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh. Let us never forget our brothers and sisters who live in countries where they can risk being persecuted. They are part of [...]

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Eastern Christians and the Arab Spring – Alain Juppé’s column published by La Croix (February 28, 2012)

February 28, 2012 News

Alain Juppé 28/2/2012 The Eastern Christians are worried. Worried about their survival in a region they have lived in for 2,000 years. Worried about their rights being respected at a time of major upheaval. Worried about heightened religious tensions. I want to tell them that I understand them, that I understand their fears. For centuries, [...]

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Malankara Association meeting on March 7

February 28, 2012 Featured News

Indian Orthodox Church 28/2/2012 Malankara Syrian Christian Association, the supreme parliament of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, will meet at the Catholicate College grounds here on March 7, according to Kuriakose Mar Cleemis, Metropolitan of the Thumpamon diocese of the Church. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mar Cleemis said the Malankara Syrian Christian [...]

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Muslims and Christians must also serve in IDF

February 28, 2012 News

By Moshe Arens 28.02.12 It was not right that the attention of the Tal Law’s cancellation has all been focused on the ultra-Orthodox community’s absence from the IDF, while the Muslim and Christian community has been effectively disregarded; equality is indivisible. If you’re an Israeli citizen who is ultra-Orthodox, Muslim or Christian, you’re exempt from [...]

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Hungarian Parliament adds eighteen religious orders to list of officially recognized churches; 66 rejected

February 28, 2012 News

BY MTI 28/2/2012 Hungarian parliament expanded the number of recognised churches from an initial 14 to 32 on Monday. The related amendment to the law on the legal status of churches, denominations and religious communities was approved by the deputies of the ruling majority, in the absence of opposition MPs. The 18 religious communities added [...]

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Armenian community’s Paylan: Constitution should have no superior identity

February 27, 2012 Featured News
Garo Paylan (Photo: Today's Zaman)

27/2/2012 YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, İSTANBUL An Armenian community leader who is working in civil society platforms to develop ideas on how to write Turkey’s new constitution has told Today’s Zaman for Monday Talk that the new constitution should be all-encompassing. “There should not be a superior identity — such us Turk or Turkishness — and [...]

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Unique & Rare Patrirachal honour to Rt.Rev. Dr. Chorbishop Curien Kaniamparambil of Malankara(India)

February 27, 2012 Featured News
Rt. Rev. Dr. Arch-Chorbishop Curien Kaniamparambil of Malankara (India)

Syrian Orthodox Church in India(SOCI) 27/2/2012 His Holiness Patriarch bestowed him with ‘Arch Episcopa’ title & St. Ignatius Medal. DAMASCUS/PUTHENCURIZ: His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas honoured Malankara Malphono, Korooso Dash`roro Very Rev Kaniamparambil Dr. Curien Cor Episcopa with rare and unique Patriarchal honours. Cor Episcopus is awarded the title, ‘Arch Cor Episcopa’, and [...]

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Tbilisi Armenian painter’s exhibition opens in native city

February 27, 2012 News

27/2/2012 Tbilisi Armenian painter Giorgi Manoyan’s personal exhibition opened in his native city on February 24. The official opening brought together Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Primate of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Georgian President’s advisor, Van Bayburtyan; Armenian Embassy representative Artak Ghalachyan; painter Giovanni Vepkhvadze; collector Alexander Piradov; and many other art lovers. [...]

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